Northern Shaolin Sword

Jamaica Park Avenue: Ymaa Publication Center, 1996. Second Printing . Trade Paperback. Very Good. 7" x 10. 188 Pages Indexed. Presents Chinese sword history, fundamental training exercises, and three famous Shaolin sequences. The Fen, a narrow-blade, double-edged sword, has been respected as the King of Short Weapons in China for millennia. This is so both because it requires the highest skill to use well, and because the sword user must achieve the heights of spirit and morality. In addition to the obvious self-defense uses, the sword was commonly carried by scholars because wearing a sword made them feel elegant. Also, because of its beauty, the fen has been popularly used in many dances. Although the art of the sword has enjoyed a glorious past, its future is uncertain. Modern culture leads people away from its study for several reasons. First, the gun replaced the sword as a personal weapon a century ago because of its ease of operation and greater killing potential. This leads people to believe that sword techniques have no practical value. Second, there are few masters qualified to teach, and thereby to preserve, the artistry of handling the sword. Finally, proficiency in sword techniques requires much time, patience, and practice, and few people today seem willing to exert the energy necessary to learn the ancient art of the Chinese sword.